Flexible match-strip.



No. 66!,l56. Patented Nov. 6, I900. F. A. RATHBUN.

FLEXIBLE. MATCH STRIP.

(Application filed Feb. 16, 1900.)

(No Iodal.)

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WITNESSES:

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UNITED STATES FATENT' Trice,

FRANK A. RATHBUN, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

FLEXIBLE MATCH-STRIP.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 661,156, dated November6, 1900.

Application filed February 16, 1900. eerial No. 5.416. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK A. RATHBUN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Matches forAutomatic Lighters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

My invention relates to automatic lighters, and more particularly tothat class of lighters in which the match-heads are employed in the formof a continuous strip and ignited as they are ejected from the lighterone at a tiinesuch,forinstance, as the form of lighter shown and claimedin my application for United States Letters Patent, Serial N 0. 740,164,filed December 13, 1899, in Which there is provided an ejector having apointed end adapted to engage in a cavity in the back of the match-head.

My invention has for its primary object to provide an appropriate formofimatch for use in igniters of this class which may be stored in theigniter in a compact. form and may be readily ejected therefrom one at atime and automatically ignited without danger of igniting the entiresupply and without danger of the burning match becoming disconnected orfalling off prematurely.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts bywhich the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearingare attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view ofseveral of the matchheads in a continuous strip, taken on the line a a,Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a perspective view thereof. Fig. 3 is a package of thematches in readiness tobe inserted into the receptacle of the automaticlighter, a portion of the wrapper being torn away. Fig. 4 is a similarview showing the end of the matchstrip drawn out. Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1, showing a modification consisting in placing thefulminate at the lower end of the match-head instead of the upper end,as in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of said modified form.Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a still further modificationin which the flexible strip passes through the match-head instead of toone side, and Fig. 8 is a perspective view thereof.

In carrying out my invention I employ a flexible strip 1, composed ofpaper or any other suitable flexible material, but which is preferablycombustible, and upon this strip I secure the match-heads 2, the stripbeing of indefinite length and the match-heads 2 being arranged at theproper distance-apart for enabling the ejector of the automatic lighterto force out one of them at a time. Each of these match-heads iscomposed of a body por-' tion 3, in the back of which is formed a cavityor notch 4, in which engages the point of the ejector, as beforeexplained, thus enabling the ejector to not only engage the match-headfor forcing it from the casing of the lighter and pulling up another oneof the heads into position to be engaged by the ejector at its nextstroke, but also to hold the head in position while it is burning andbeing used. These cavities or notches 4, it will also be seen, areformed at the lower end of the match-body, so as to insure theengagement therein of the ejector, which would be liable to miss thecavity or notch I if the same were formed at an intermediate'point. Thematchhead 2 also comprises a particle of f ulminate 5, which in the formshown in Figs. 1 and 2 is secured to the upper end of the head. It isunderstood that devices for igniting matches of this character have anigniter which operates by pressing against the fulminate 5 while thematch-head is passing it and ignites the fulminate in the act ofslipping off the edge thereof. In order thatthis may be readilyaccomplished with 'the fulminate arranged at the upper end of thematch-head, the latter is provided with a cavity or notch 6, just belowthe fulminate, so that as the match-head slips upwardly past the igniterthe latter in springing into the notch 6 from the lower edge of thefulminate will cause the latter to ignite and set fire to the bodyportion 3 of the match, which is composed of combustible material, aswill be presently described. These particles of fulminate 5 are seatedin suitable cavities in the body portion 3 entirely below the surface ofthe latter, both at the end and the exposed side or face, so that thefulminate 5, eins will be protected on all sides from frictional contactagainst other m atch-heads when folded together, the only exposedsurface of the fnlminate being that which is presented on the side inwhich the notch 6 is formed and which is turned toward the igniter, sothat the igniter may engage therein; but larger surfaces will be heldfrom frictional contact with the fulminate. In manufacturing acontinuous match-strip of this form the matchheads are cemented, glued,or otherwise secured to the paper strip 1, and the cavities 4 are formedby means of any sharp-pointed instrument inserted through the paper andinto the body portion of the match-head. The body portion of thematch-head may be composed of any suitable material well known in theart for this purpose. A desirable composition for indoor use, where thewind or strong drafts have not to be guarded against, consists of feltsaturated with paraffin, and forawind-proof match glue, eight parts;shellac, eight parts; chlorate of potassium, eight parts; paraffin, fourparts; nitrate of strontium, twenty-four parts. All should be thoroughlymixed over a Water-bath, with water enough to produce a thickhomogeneous mass, from which the match-bodies are molded and then gluedor otherwise fastened to the flexible comiecting-strip, any of thewell-known fulminates being inserted in the match-body, as beforedescribed. The matches thus made may be folded together in a compactform in the manner best illustrated in Fig. 3 and inclosed in anysuitable wrapper 7, so as to be in a convenient form for insertion inthe receptacle of the automatic lighter, the end of the wrapper beingtorn off in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4 after it is inserted forpermitting the ejector to engage the first match-head on the strip.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 I have placed thefulminate 5 at the lower end instead of the upper end of the match-body,thus avoiding the use of the notch 6.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the constructiondoes not differ from that illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, excepting thatthe flexible strip 1 passes through the body portion 3 instead of to oneside thereof, or, in other words, the body portion is divided into twoparts and one part secured to each side of the strip 1, one part beingprovided with the fulminate 5 and the other with the notch or cavity 4.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new and useful article of manufacture a match-strip for thepurpose described having in combination a flexible combustible strip andmatch-heads secured thereto and consisting of a combustible body portionand a fulminate embedded therein, said body portion having a notch belowsaid fulminate on one side and a cavity for the engagement of an ejectorformed through said flexible strip on the other side, substantially asset forth.

2. As a new and useful article of manufacture a :natclrstrip for thepurpose described having in combination a flexible combustible strip andmatch-heads secured thereto and consisting of a combustible body portionand a fulminate portion embedded in said body portion and having itsentire outer surface at least as deep in the body portion as the sidesand face of the body portion whereby the surfaces of the fnlminate willbe protected from friction against surfaces with which the sides andface of the body portion may come in contact, substantially as setforth.

- FRANK A. RATI-IBUN. l/Vitnesses:

CHAS. W. MOFARLAND, E. S. FoLsoM.

